Hymns for the Broken Hearted
by IDontDance.Ever
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles for Puck and Rachel that I felt didn't deserve their own publish/*2* Apocalypse- Puck really cant be blamed...when he sees an orange sky, he cant help but think 'apocalypse'
1. Fireworks

**Disclaimer: **Dont own it, never have, never will. Also, this is unbeta'd

**Title: **Fireworks

**Rating:**T

**Summary:** "Noah, I think it _might _be against the law to set fireworks off on your rooftop"

Alright, this is the first story in a collection of one-shots and drabbles that I think dont deserve a publishing of their own. My aim is to get to one hundred of these, but knowing me, I'll probably get to ten and give up. Hopefully, I wont (fingers crossed). If there was inspiration or a dedication/request for one of these, it will be listed at the bottom of the story. All stories are rated between K-T, but most are probably going to be T, because just like Puck, I have a serious problem with swearing. Sailors aint got _nothing _on my dirty mind. 

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><p>Rachel had been looking forward to a New Year's Eve in New York ever since she was eight and had watched the fireworks on TV with her daddies. It was <em>spectacular<em>. The bright lights from all the buildings, thousands and thousands of people standing in Times Square, the giant ball dropping down when the clock reached midnight, and most of all, the sparks that lit up the night sky from all the fireworks being set off into the air. It was much better than the display that was put on by the Lima Council centre at the Tansley's ranch every year, this was amazing. She wanted to move all the way to New York _just _to see those special lights, to let them light up her life in the same way that they had lit up so many others. Watching them on TV just wasn't enough –she needed to be in Times Square in person at New Year's Eve.

When she was twenty-three, and she and her boyfriend moved to New York after college in California, it seemed like that childhood dream of hers was finally coming true.

Until she came down with a serious fever a few days before the end of December. Sometimes, Rachel thinks, the universe can be a real bitch and a half.

"Rachel, you know I'm not going to let you go out tonight. Strict doctor's orders, babe. Besides, you can watch the fireworks on TV" Noah wrapped his arms around his sick girlfriend, who was sitting on the couch moping. Six hours till midnight in the best place to celebrate the New Year in the world, and she was stuck in her apartment. This really was _not _fair.

"It's not the same. I've wanted to see these fireworks since I was eight, Noah, I've watched them on the TV every year since then, and I'm telling you –watching something on TV looks exactly the same as it does in California and Ohio. I want to see them in person down in Times Square, not from a couch in a small apartment" She sneezed into the tissue in her hand and groaned. Being sick was terrible.

"Hey!" Noah said, slightly offended. "What's so bad about this apartment? It's a nice place, and it's a real steal around this area. Most places you get for this price are shit"

Rachel sighed. "You know I don't mean to offend the apartment –and you _did_ do a good job with finding this place –I just…I've waited so long to see those fireworks, and now I'm finally in New York, I'm as sick as a dog and on house arrest. It, well…it _sucks_, Noah!" Rachel huffed and crossed her arms while Noah rubbed her arm sympathetically. He felt so sorry for his girlfriend, but what could he do? It's not like he could take her down there (the doc seemed pretty damn serious, and he's always had a fear of doctors. Fuck you, it's perfectly normal), and well, he couldn't bring the fireworks to her…_wait._

Noah jumped off the couch, scattering used tissues all over the floor. He ran over to the doorway and pulled his coat of the rack. Rachel stayed on the couch, shocked and confused. "What are you doing?" She asked. He ran back over to her and quickly kissed her on the cheek.

"No time to explain, babe. I'll be back before midnight, I promise" She watched as her boyfriend ran out the door and heard his footsteps moving down the stairs outside before the door slammed shut.

What on earth was she going to do with him?

**/**

A little over five hours later, Noah pushed his way through the front door of their apartment, laden with plastic bags, and walked over to the couch where Rachel was sleeping, rolled tightly in a doona. He kind of thought she looked like a giant caterpillar –a cute one, but. The TV was on in the background, and it was showing the festivities going on in the streets of New York. Noah kinda felt bad that Rachel wasn't going to get to party down there, but hey, he didn't make his little trip to Chinatown for nothing. He shook her shoulder gently and she groaned, slowly lifting her head and shaking herself off.

"Noah…" she grumbled. Her voice was thick and tired. "Where the hell did you go? I tried to stay up to wait for you, but I got tired, and I think I must have fallen asleep because they weren't showing that part of New York on the screen when I last looked"

"C'mon, we're gonna go party?" He started to move to the door when she grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"What do you mean 'we're gonna party'? You told me I couldn't go to Times Square, _doctor's orders_, remember?" He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, babe. You couldn't leave the house. And we're not really leaving, not exactly"

She pulled herself off the couch, making sure the doona was still around her. "Then, where are we going?"

"The rooftop, sweetheart. Where else?"

Rachel looked down at his hands. "What's in the bags?"

"Nothing you need to worry about till we get up there"

"I need to grab my coat" she grumbled. The rooftop? Sometimes she wondered why she even dated him. The amount of crazy ideas that went through this man's head was astonishing. Just last month, he wanted to test the strength of their new bed (to make sure it was '_up to code with all the awesome sexing the two of them were so gonna get up to_'…why else?), and did so by jumping on it for a full hour. He deserved every last bit of the concussion he got when his –oversized –head hit the roof.

"Don't worry, just keep that thing wrapped around you, you'll be warm enough"

"You know, Noah, I really don't trust you with this. You've got that mischievous smile on your face, and nothing good ever comes from that"

"Babe, I'm hurt" he said as he closed the door behind them and stared leading them all the way up the stairs. "You've got nothing to worry about, my sexy little caterpillar, I promise this will be so awesome"

"You said exactly the same thing about car sex that night we ran out of gas on the highway…and how is a caterpillar sexy?"

"Oh come on, the police were totally understanding about that, I bet that happens to them all the time. Plus," he said as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You totally make that caterpillar look seem sexy, and you know it"

Rachel blushed as Noah opened the door to the rooftop. "It's a good thing you brought that doona thing, babe, it's pretty damn cold out here. Surprised it aint snowing on a night like this"

"Noah, I'm well aware it's freezing, I _can _still feel the cold. What are we doing up here?" He grabbed her shoulders and led her over to a milk crate and sat her down on it. "Ok, now I'm really confused. Are you going to perform some kind of lap dance for me?"

Noah scoffed. "Fuck no babe…unless you really want me to. Better wait till we get back inside though, I know you're too horny to wait, but Little Noah might just fall off in the cold out here"

"You're incorrigible"

"You know you love it" Noah started pulling things out of the bags and setting up some kind of small base thing on the cement of the roof. From where Rachel was sitting, it looked a little like….

"Are those fireworks?" He smirked and nodded, continuing with his set-up.

"Yep, sure are. Got 'em real cheap from a friend down in Chinatown, you know you can always count on the Changster to come through on the goods, specially the awesome ones" And fireworks were definitely kickass awesome goods. Shit was _great_!

"Noah, I think it _might_ be against the law to set fireworks off on your rooftop" Rachel called from her seat.

"And since when have I ever cared about following the law?" Rachel rolled her eyes as she watched her boyfriend strike a match on one of the rockets and race back to kneel beside her box. He slipped an arm over her shoulder and whispered "Shit's gonna be fantastic" in her ear. When the rocket flew into the air and exploded into a burst of sparks and bangs above her head, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh my god, Noah, this is amazing!" She giggled as the rocket exploded over and over again. Once the sparks had stopped, Noah ran forward and it another one, then another, then another. Rachel's entire face lit up as flame after flame burst into the sky, contrasting against the black of the night. For about half an hour, she sat there giggling as Noah set of the fireworks, putting on a show that was just for her.

"One last special one for the new year, Rach!" he called out, lighting the fuse on a rather large looking rocket. As it flew off into the sky, he pulled Rachel up off the crate and encased her into a hug, nuzzling the side of her neck with his nose. He lifted his mouth up to her ear, and pressed a small kiss into the skin.

"Ten, nine, eight…" he started in her ear, his breath sending her senses into overdrive. "…seven, six, five, four, three, two…._one_" Noah pulled her face up by her chin and slanted his mouth over hers, one of his hands trailing across her waist, the other tangling in her hair.

"Happy New Year, Rachel" he muttered against her lips. She smiled as she leaned back into him, covering his lips with hers again.

Next year, she would have her New Year's Eve dream down in Times Square with all the other crazy New Yorkers. But this year, she had the rooftop with Noah, and to be honest, she think she preferred this celebration a lot better.

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><p>If there were any swear words with a '<strong>*<strong>' replacing the vowel, it's because I sent this over on a crappy, restricted email adress that hates swears (I need to find my USB). I think I got them all, but if I missed one, please tell me!

**Inspiration: **Lea Michele's new movie about New Years Eve, what else? I bet when she started off in her career, she never thought she'd be playing the love interes to Ashton Kutcher...it's practically almost every girls dream!

Reviews are most welcome :)


	2. Apocalypse

**Title:** Apocalypse

**Summary: **When Puck looks out his window and sees an orange sky, the first though that pops into his head is that the apocalypse has finally dawned.

**Rating:** T

**A/N:** It was a real bitch and a half uploading this one...I need a USB drive, sending doc's over emails sucks. Also, in this story, Puck and Rachel are around twelve...probably important I mention that

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><p>He wakes up earlier than he does most morning and rubs the remainder of sleep out of his eyes. Stretching his arms above his head, he yawns and pulls himself out of bed and trudges over to the window to pull open the curtains and let the sunlight wake him up a little more.<p>

When Puck looks out his window and sees an orange sky, the first though that pops into his head is that the apocalypse has finally dawned. The second is that he needs to see Rachel. Right _now_. He quickly pulls a t-shirt and jeans out of his wardrobe out of his wardrobe and dresses faster than he ever thinks he has in his life. He's hopping to the door with one shoe on his foot and the other in his hand trying to put it on, trying to get down the stairs as fast as he possibly can. He can_not _get there late, there's no way he's going to spend his last day on this earth without seeing Rachel at least once.

Puck races down the stairs and runs through the kitchen, ignoring his mother's yells and little sister's laughter. "Where on earth are you going, Noah?" follows him out the door, but he doesn't answer. He can kiss them goodbye later. He picks up his bike (Puck can't _wait _till he's old enough to drive…but he guesses now that day's never gonna come) and starts pedalling down the drive and into the street. It's weird, the sky's a funny colour and it's pretty damn obvious that the world is ending, but no one seems to be panicking. _Idiots_, he thinks as he rides into the next street. _They should all be scared of this…a few screams, at least. Maybe they've all decided to go peacefully_.

Five minutes later, he finds himself in front of Rachel's house. He dumps his bike on the front lawn, not giving a damn if it gets damaged or not. He quickly runs up her drive, up the stairs, across the porch and bangs desperately on her front door. _C'mon, Rachel, open up_.

He hears footsteps inside, and as soon as Rachel opens the door he engulfs her into a bear hug, squeezing her tiny frame into his. Rachel stands still for a moment, a little surprised, before patting his back gently. "Noah," she starts quietly. "Are you okay?" Puck shakes his head.

"We're all gonna die, Rachie, and I'm really gonna miss you when that happens…well, I can't really miss you, cause I'll be dead, but it'll still suck" She turns her head as much as Puck's hold would let her and stares at him, confused.

"What are you talking about? Since when are we all going to die? I feel perfectly fine right about now, and you don't look all that sick…you're not sick are you? Oh god, that would be terrible! Is it something really serious? Can it be treated?" Puck lets go of Rachel and holds her by the shoulders at arm's length, looking her deep in the eyes with the most serious look her can muster (he's been practising it in the bathroom mirror at home. Getting pretty damn good at it too)

"Are you insane, Rachie? The sky's fucking orange! It's the fucking apocalypse and it's gonna get us all!" Rachel raises an eyebrow at him, and Puck can see her mouth twitching. Her lips move to form a smile and before he knows it, he's watching her double over laughing, clutching at her sides. What the hell was so funny? This was serious shit, did she not see the sky? It was freakin' orange!

"What's so funny?" he asks. Rachel wipes at her eyes and tries to stop giggling.

"Oh, Noah…" she says, holding back a laugh. "Don't you ever listen to the news?"

"Uh…_no_" What sort of a stupid question was that? News is dead-shit boring, and it's all the same every day anyway. Someone's died, someone's gone to war, someone's got themselves stuck down a drainpipe…it's basically a show about the lives of complete idiots. Like a better presented version of the Jersey Shore.

"Well, maybe you should start. Then, you would know that the orange sky this morning –" Rachel waves her arm around, indicating above her " –is a cause of a rather large wind gust blowing up a heap of dust from the farming areas and bringing it across state to us. Hence, the different colouring"

Puck was confused. "So, what you're saying is that all this…"

"Is a dust storm, yes. A rather large one I have to say, Daddy said there was one about 15 years ago, but it was nowhere near the size of this. It was a little frightening looking out my window this morning, I didn't know what to think" Rachel beams at him. "It was really nice of you to come to my rescue, even if there was no real danger. Very chivalrous of you" Puck scowls. A little because he has no idea what chivalrous means (does she have to use such big words? He's only twelve, for god's sake), but mainly because he wasn't nice. Nice was for pussies. He was a badass, and badasses weren't nice.

"Yeah, well," he mutters, looking down at his feet, cause the look in her eyes was kinda making him uncomfortable. "I wouldn't have been able to save you I just kinda wanted to say goodbye. It would have sucked to die without saying goodbye to you" When he looks up at her, the smile on her face had grown bigger (if that's even _possible_) and she pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back, cause to be honest, he still hadn't gotten over the thought of losing his best friend. Imagine not having anyone to knock and run on crazy Mrs Larson's door, or buy slushies with at the 7/11. It would suck. _Majorly_.

"I'd miss you too, Noah. If you ever died. It really means a lot that you'd come to me first to say goodbye" She pulls away from him and gives him a small peck on the cheek. A blush spreads across his cheeks as he pulls away from her.

"Um, I…uh, gotta go now. Ma's gonna be wondering why I ran out of the house so fast"

Rachel giggles. "I'll see you later, Noah"

"See-ya, Rachie" He picks up his bike and watched as she waves him goodbye from the porch. He shakily lifts one hand to wave back to her as he rides down the porch (you bet your ass he can do that!) and back to his house. When he gets home, his mother is less than pleased that he ran out of the house and disappeared without telling her, but Puck brushes her off and grabs a bowl of cereal and takes it up to his room. Before he sits down on his bed, he closes his curtains with his spare hand.

Just because the orange sky wasn't the sign of the end of the world, doesn't mean it didn't scare him. Only a little, but.

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><p>Something like this actually happened to me last year (except without the minature Puck knocking on my door. Boo). My state fell victim to a major dust storm and I'm telling you now, it's a scary experience waking up at 6am to find the sky outside your window's orange. Pretty damn freaky...<p>

Reviews are like my muse and my drugs. Dont leave this addict unsatisfied and muse-less


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